7 Answers

I had had to fail a friend who was working on certification dives. She panicked at the surface, and I could not calm her down enough to feel comfortable taking her back under. I felt it was in her best interest to terminate the dives that day, and go back to the pool. I had trained her husband a few years before and it was at his urging that she became a diver. When I told them we should go back to the pool, he became angry with me and accused me of trying to milk them for more money. I told him I would work with his wife at no charge, and he accused me of having a personal interest in his wife and prolonging her certification. I turned her over to another instructor who certified her the next weekend even though she panicked again! They have never spoken to me again.

My worse dive was at 105 feet with a breather failure. When I went to my bailout bottle I found I also had a regulator problem. Thank God for my dive buddy who handed me his bailout bottle. We then slowly surface.

Worst dive...well, so many good ones, even if scary or whatever. Former pro diver with Cousteau and we did some crazy stuff. I guess my worst dive was more recent. I had been overnight in an underwater habitat. I knew my tank was full upon entry and I'd definitely turned it off. So I stupidly did not check the air the next morning before a dive. We left the habitat, my buddy rounded the corner and was out of sight, I was hung up on an anchor line (my tank valve got snagged)...I had no air and was alone. Relatively shallow at just about 35' but almost bought the farm. Managed to stay calm, unhook myself and surfaced safely. Rather scary, so that was my worst.

A couple of years ago I was on a Boat with a family with the three worst kids I have ever been around. Theses kids were all on meth. I politely and quietly ask the father to calm them down and he just looked at me. The second dive I just went in the opposite direction.